Albuquerque Real Estate Becomes the Star in ‘Breaking Bad’

Posted on August 31st, 2012. Original content from Zillow's Real Estate Blog.

Jesse Pinkman and Walter White from "Breaking Bad." Source: AMC

Die-hard fans of “Breaking Bad” will tune in Sunday Sept. 2 for the final episode of 2012. And then they’ll painfully wait.

This breath-holding comes after producers of the wildly popular AMC series made the controversial decision to wait until next year to air the second half of the fifth and final season.

The enforced anticipation may be cruel to the early adopters of the savagely dark and oddly comedic drama, but it gives the rest of us time to catch up.

Yo, man! There’s a slew of twists and turns to watch as cancer-stricken chemistry teacher Walter White and his “Yo-Yo” sidekick Jesse Pinkman go from artistic meth-makers to drug kingpins in the southwestern city of the ABQ — Albuquerque, NM.

With so much of the show taking place in real homes, schools, junkyards, strip malls, car washes, hot-dog dives and taco shops in Albuquerque, the show has elevated the southwestern city to a kind of crystallized myth status. (Fans have taken trips to video chronicle where “Breaking Bad” scenes were shot and catalog via photo stream many of the series’ buildings and neighborhoods.)

My name is …

Source: Google Street View

As Walt begins his transformation from suburban-dwelling teacher to drug lord, the very first words uttered on the show place him squarely at the imagination-deprived dwelling in which he somewhat cowardly had been just getting by:

“My name is Walter Hartwell White. I live at 308 Negra Arroyo Lane, Albuquerque, New Mexico.”

Yo, like, Jesse Pinkman lived here

Source: Google Street View

For a punk druggie, Jesse Pinkman lives in a very nice crib. But very soon into Season 1, we learn the house where Walter and Jesse make quite a mess was left to Jesse use by his aunt. Without spoiling any more of the plot, let’s just say that Jesse finds himself out of luck at the nice abode.

Hank and Marie’s house

Source: Google Street View

Hank is a federal Drug Enforcement Administration officer. He is married to Marie, who is the sister of Walter’s wife, Skyler. Tracking with us so far? Anyway, Hank and Marie are a big part of the show, and their superior station in life compared to Walt and Skyler’s is demonstrated by their nice stucco home at 4901 Cumbre Del Sur Ct NE, Albuquerque, NM 87111.

Peekaboo

Source: Google Street View

Jesse earns his reputation as a stone-cold killer after a wild scene that takes place in the downtown Albuquerque home at 217 13th St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102. But the episode’s real dramatic tension comes from a dirt-smudged and neglected child of meth-heads who startles Jesse. In the middle of the impending violence, Jesse shows his tender side by connecting with the kid — via a game of peekaboo.